34th Space Symposium

SpaceNews.com is reporting from Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 16-19 to bring you comprehensive coverage of the 34th Space Symposium.

This special coverage is made possible through support fromLockheed Martin Space develops best-in-class space architecture, from satellites and ground-based systems to interplanetary and human-rated spacecraft, unlocking the power of space for humanity.

GEOShare, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary matching missions with orbital slots in an effort to boost satellite sales, has signed up over 150 missions and over 100 orbital locations, said Lon Levin, GEOShare president and chief executive.

As Lockheed Martin prepares to complete assembly of the Orion spacecraft flying on the first SLS mission, the company says it’s making progress in lowering the costs of the future spacecraft, including through reuse.

If a new commercial space station is “paid for by Taco Bell, it will be the Taco Bell Space Station,” said Benjamin Reed, deputy director for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Satellite Servicing Projects Division.

In anticipation of more business from rocket and satellite manufacturers, Ruag is ramping up investments in its U.S. operations in Alabama, Florida and in a research center in California’s Silicon Valley.

York Space Systems, a Denver-based satellite manufacturer, announced plans April 17 to work with Swiss satellite and rocket component supplier Ruag Space on payload adapters for York's S-Class satellites.

Open Cosmos, a British startup planning to manufacture and operate inexpensive cubesats for customers, announced April 18 it raised $7 million in Series A funding in an investment round led by London-based BGF Ventures.

In his last major speech as NASA’s acting administrator before retiring, Robert Lightfoot said he believes the space agency needs to do a better job assessing risks and making decisions in order to carry out its exploration plans.